Search Results for: atlantic records

Brooklyn-born rapper Jay-Z’s latest LP, “Blueprint,” led a torrent of new releases at the top of the album charts this week as America’s record buyers continued to shop despite Sept. 11’s terrorist attacks. The Island/Def Jam release flew off shelves last week, shifting nearly 427,000 units, according to data compiled by SoundScan. Sales of “Blueprint” were powered by the near-ubiquity of its first single, “H.O.V.A. (Izzo),” on both urban radio and music television. Island/Def Jam’s chart dominance continued in the latest session with Nickelback’s “Silver Side Up,” which came in at No. 2 with 178,000 copies sold. “Silver Side Up”… Read more »

Alice Cooper has been named the recipient of this year’s Living Legend Award from the International Horror Guild, marking the first time the Guild has reached beyond the literary world to give someone the honor. Previous winners have included authors Ray Bradbury, Harlan Ellison, and Clive Barker, among others. The award is given to those “who have made a meritorious and notable contribution and/or have substantially influenced the field of horror and dark fantasy.” Cooper’s award will be handed out Saturday (September 1) at Atlanta’s Hyatt Regency Hotel as part of the weekend-long Dragon*Con, one of the largest conventions in… Read more »

“Alive,” the first single/video from Atlantic recording group P.O.D.’s upcoming new album, “SATELLITE,” rocketed into the No.1 position on today’s installment of MTV’s Total Request Live. The controversial video – directed by Francis Lawrence – made its MTV debut last week on the August 20th episode of TRL, with the band on hand in the studio to introduce the clip. The much-anticipated “SATELLITE” arrives in stores nationwide on September 11th. The video’s remarkable success can be attributed to the support of both P.O.D.’s loyal fanbase – known as the “Warriors” – along with equally enthused newcomers, many of whom were… Read more »

Rob Thomas stepped off an airplane feeling like a bona fide rock star, with nearly 12 million copies of his band’s freshman album sold and the follow-up effort following closely behind. But when he handed his passport over to a control officer, she asked: “Are you Rob Thomas of Santana? The guy who sang ‘Smooth?”‘ “I was like ‘No! I’m Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty,”‘ he recalled during a recent interview. Thomas’ work on 1999 smash “Smooth,” which earned Santana record and song of the year at last year’s Grammy Awards, has gained him more celebrity than the success he’s… Read more »

For the first time in almost four years, one of Australia’s most successful rock bands, INXS, is playing a few shows in North America. But the crowd at their recent Los Angeles stop consisted of about 70 Rhino Records employees and a few reporters, just two of the band’s six members were on stage, and the bespectacled singer looked nothing like Michael Hutchence, the group’s charismatic vocalist. Hutchence committed suicide in November 1997, and his bandmates are having a hard time deciding whether to carry on. In the meantime, they have released a two-CD anthology, “Shine Like It Does,” via… Read more »

R. Kelly has tapped new R&B stars Sunshine Anderson and Syleena Johnson for a summer theater tour that kicks off July 1 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The singer’s “Fiesta” remix featuring Jay-Z is #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles & Tracks chart. The original version appears on Kelly’s TP-2.com, which came out in November. On June 12 the singer will release TP-2.com – The Videos, a collection of music videos, interviews and other footage. Fellow Chicagoan Johnson’s “I Am Your Woman,” from her debut Chapter 1: Love, Pain & Forgiveness, was penned and produced by Kelly. Anderson’s “Heard It… Read more »

Two words of advice to struggling musicians who can’t get a record contract: Don’t bother. Or rather, take a page from the book of Uncle Kracker, the 26-year-old pop singer whose debut record hit the top 10 on U.S. album charts even though he calls himself “probably the least ambitious person you’ll meet.” Many budding rock stars dream of great power and wealth in the music business. Uncle Kracker – real name Matt Shafer – dreams of a life changing tires, fishing and gardening. For the time being, though, he is playing a bemused accidental rock star and is on… Read more »

After five albums for Atlantic, Bad Religion is returning to Epitaph Records, the label owned by Brett Gurewitz, a founding member of the 21-year-old punk band. Gurewitz has also rejoined the band in a writing capacity, according to a source. Bad Religion recorded its first seven studio albums for Epitaph before signing to Atlantic in 1993; Gurewitz left the L.A.-based act in 1994 to focus on Epitaph, which was enjoying its first mainstream success with the Offspring’s “Smash.” The group is writing and recording material for its next album, but no release date has yet been targeted. Bad Religion recently… Read more »